Last winter my pack took a tumble down a hill and rolled through a big patch of yucca (yucca has super sharp needles that will instantly penetrate your skin if you so much as lightly brush against it).It was left with a bunch of pinholes on one side and some of them have started to open up into larger holes.

Re: Best way to repair small holes on a pack?
on 09/07/2013 23:00:57 MDT

And I swear Yucca has poison tips - hurts more than just a sharp puncture

Assuming your pack isn't silnylon, then McNett Seam Grip is good. Polyurethane. Maybe put it on one side, let dry, then do other side.

Even after it dries, if you touch two places together they'll stick and ruin the patch. After it dries maybe 24 hours, you have to rub the surface with some powdery substance like talc, or dry clay dirt, or dry joint compound like spackle.

After you open it, that stuff dries out in the tube after a month or so, so don't get more than you need.

Re: Best way to repair small holes on a pack?
on 09/07/2013 23:29:20 MDT

I had in the garage a tube of automotive weatherstrip rubber sealant. I used it to patch anything from a wetsuit, snowboarding glove fingertips, crappy Merrell trail boots when the sole separated to backpack bottoms.

It's runny, the fumes are stinky and toxic, better get Popsicle sticks or chopsticks to smear it. It will get everywhere on your hands. It needs a long time to dry. When its dry its solid rubber.

I'm sure there are better options, I can recommend against superglue however because it dries as a hard surface which will crack and break. No bueno.

Alternatively, if you don't mind raiding your lady's nail polish drawer, try the glossy stuff. Some women use it to stop their nylon legging hose from running.

Along that same thought, if you have excess car touch up paint in the garage, it's like nail polish.

Disclaimer. Chemical may have reactions, so test on a small area first, in a well ventilated area. And start with a clean dry pack.

Re: Re: Best way to repair small holes on a pack?
on 09/07/2013 23:34:14 MDT

I think my pack is dyneema (not sure) and I have a tube of the sil nylon seam seal stuff (just use it on a sil tarp). Will that work?Using an adhesive sounds better than sewing, I was going to put a couple patches over the affected areas.

I think the holes finally opened up when I tried to fit 10 days worth of food/supplies (and a bear canister) into my ohm. Really stretched the fabric and ripped them out.

They sell a package that has a tiny amount of seam grip, like 1/4 ounce, and a couple tenacious tape patches. Probably enough seam grip for your job, and then you have the tanacious tape in your repair kit for future repairs. For the same price as a bigger tube that you'll have to throw most of away.

I put the remainder of my tube in the freezer. I think maybe it will last longer that way.